The penetration and spread of bottom trawling in the Greek seas and the establishment of territorial waters in the nineteenth century

Abstract

For the best part of the nineteenth century, sail trawlers used for sea fishing were the most important issue the Greek state had to deal with. The ‘Neapolitan trawlers’, as they are termed in the sources, were identified, from the very beginning of their intrusion, as a problem requiring a solution. The very presence of foreign fishing boats, as well as the specific methods employed by them, introduced in the most urgent manner the issue of marine ecosystem protection into the public debate. The Greek state, in its efforts to remove foreign fishing vessels from the coast, used a variety of provisions from the Law of Nations and imposed prohibitive measures, thus establishing the first legislative framework for fisheries. Despite the restrictions on the use of trawlers and the pressures exerted to enforce them, their use did not decrease but, on the contrary, was adopted by Greek fishermen.